May be getting rid of Dori...

[froggij]

Okay, this is really a cry for help, because I really don't want to get rid of her, but... I don't know what else to do, I'm at that point.

I've tried limiting her "daylight" hours, I'm TRYING to keep her from shredding things to nest with but I live with another person and that person doesn't seem to care, no matter how many times I say it, that letting her chew and that sort of thing will NOT help. The bird has become violent, she has been attacking our hands (if I'm doing a puzzle on my desk, minding my own business, she will fly over and latch onto my fingers, thinking it's a game, and it doesn't seem to matter how many times I spray her [not in the face], she doesn't get it).

Usually she gets nesty every so often just for a little while - this has gone on twice as long, and now she's "presenting" herself (spreading her wings out and sticking her tail up in the air) on the door to her cage. She won't play with her own toys, but she'll go out of her cage to find things to chew (bills, my purse, my jacket, books, boxes, cd/dvd cases). If you get within two feet of her cage, she jumps on the door and starts making aggressive squawking sounds and will bite if you get within range (she's even latched onto my boyfriend's shirt just for walking by).

I don't know what else to do. I've tried leaving her alone to come out on her own, and she won't go near a human. We had to take her to a bird-sitting place for two days because the apartment was being fumigated, and - while she wasn't behaving even before then - it didn't seem to help things at all so I don't know if something happened to her while she was there or not, they said she behaved, but ever since then, getting her to go near a human is nearly impossible. The person I live with tonight was trying to handle her, I clipped her toenails and she was okay, she just screamed, and then hours later she tried picking the bird up again, the bird latched onto her lip and now she has a HUGE gash on her top lip from the bird...and the bird didn't let go, we actually had to pry her off.

PLEASE. If anyone has any advanced-level tips, I can really use them now. I have no money, I can't buy some video or book telling me how to do it, I probably can't even make my car payment tomorrow, but I really don't want to have to give up my bird. Before this "nesty" period she's had, she always came back to being a sweet, cuddly, loveable love bird, but this time she seems to have gone over the deep end.

If there's anything you guys know of, I'm desperate... or if you think it's time to give up on her and give her to the bird rescue place, lemme know.

Thank you anyone.

[Birdmanca]

Perhaps you can find a neighbor or someone where you live that wants to have a bird for company, and let them try their luck at having the bird as their pet. There are lonely people that would treat the bird wonderful.

[Marrie]

It sounds like maybe the pet sitter might have traumatized her a bit, if after coming back she doesn't want to be near humans. Hormones are hard to overcome, but I know there are a few people on here who had very nesty lovie hens and one of them may have some tips when they stop by. When she latches onto your fingers, instead of spraying her, have you tried giving her something else to bite or if she's on your hand, earthquaking? Do you let her get on your shoulders (if so, that is not a good idea when a bird is behaving badly, it can cause the behavior to get worse)? Do you use time outs in the cage?

I would recommend going on youtube and searching for clicker training, that may help her behavior. The lessons are free on there and all it takes is buying a clicker. It can help distract some birds.

For lowering hormones, leave her covered longer in the morning, don't give her as much excess food (instead of filling her bowl, give her just enough for the day, etc), remove anything she can shred - paper, rope perches, shredder toys, etc. Don't allow a happy hut, or anything like that for a dark corner. It may be worth a call to your vet as well, I know they can give certain treatments for overly nesty hens, usually for egg laying, not sure if it would help for the other symptoms. A phone consultation is free. But a checkup would be advisable, she may be in pain from something and just not know how else to express it.

[Albe]

So sorry that this is all going on, I have a nesty lovie, when she gets hormonal it is terrible, I can only imagine if it was prolonged! You seem to be doing everything right, trying to deter the nesting behavior, but it obviously isn't working. Maybe you should try the opposite approach? Give her the nesting materials, extra food etc. let her lay eggs, keep her cage bound most of the time, and let her 'play it out'. She will probably be completely evil and not move away from her eggs for a good month, but after that she would hopefully be back to her normal sweet self. Also, if this does not sound like something you want to do, I have also found that having a very tall cage deters them from using the bottom of the cage as a nest. Don't give up! This really sounds like a hormonal thing, not a personality thing, so she will eventually be back to her normal self. It could be just the time of year.

[froggij]

Thanks for the tips guys. I've been regulating her "daylight" hours and all, it's just crazy here right now. Even if she's got five blankets slapped over her cage and I KNOW she can't see through, as soon as it hits six a.m., she starts chirping away (I never get to sleep in because of her).

Marrie, I'd love to do clicker training with her, I do think maybe boredom is some of it.

I also had to get food for my kids, so I went to the store I bought her at originally, where they breed lovies, and I explained everything and asked them what to do. She gave me a few tips that I'm going to try, hopefully that will help.

Also also, I have a vet appointment scheduled for her. Luckily since I work in a retail grooming salon, we have a vet company in the building and one of the vets actually does avian stuff too (and other exotics...they always bring reptiles and rodents to him when those get sick in the store), so I went to talk to the nurse that works with all the birds, and she suggested at least having her looked at, but if that didn't work, that I should buy her a nesting box and throw some fake eggs in there to make her think she already laid them, and she should get back to normal. I'm really broke, so...I really hope he just does a swab test and not like...x-rays or blood work, but I'll be talking to the same vet that took care of Orsino every time he used to get sick, and finally cured him for good (apparently it was a parasite from his days on the streets before my co-worker found him, but he'd only present with symptoms when he had a head cold, so they'd go away with the meds, then come back again. one antiparasitic shot later and he's been fairly healthy ever since. Still gets head colds and I have to give him antibiotics for that, but overall not too bad.) I trust him. He knows I have no money, so we usually can work something out. She hasn't been acting any differently besides that. She still eats, drinks, poops normally, wakes up way too dang early for my liking (I am NOT a morning person), and all of that stuff she did before.

I'm actually thinking that...sometime while I had her in "daycare" those two days, some kid came around and poked her through the bars or something and scared the crap out of her. At least that's what I'm hoping. That would be fix-able. So until Wednesday, I'm going to try what the bird place suggested, and wednesday is her vet appointment. And if neither of those come up with anything, I'm buying her some fake eggs from the craft store and she can just sit on those until she gets good and tired of it.

Thanks guys.

Don't give up! This really sounds like a hormonal thing, not a personality thing, so she will eventually be back to her normal self.

heh, yeah. She's being a little slut (pardon my language). She even went up to the cockatiel (who hates her) and stuck her tail in his face. He was on the other side of the bars, otherwise I think he would have tried to kill her, but he just sort of ran away like "GET AWAY FROM ME!!" Poor Dori can't get no love!

[notredamebird]

I have not had a lovebird, but I have had birds who felt hormonal or who acted a little funny for very limited periods. I have not generally succeeded in getting them to change a behavior that they are just dead set on. However, generally this also passes and they go straight back to their usual selves.

This doesn't really give you a technique, but have you considered just waiting for Dori to move out of her hormonal period? Maybe that means she looses some priviledges or some cage out time. But if this is just nestiness, it should disappear.